Livermore: Pilot killed in weekend crash identified

LIVERMORE -- An Air Force veteran who died over the weekend after his plane caught fire and crashed into a field near a freeway had built the aircraft, his employer said Monday.

Jerry Parker, 63, of Livermore, jumped from his replica P-51 Mustang after it caught fire during takeoff from Livermore Airport, about 5 p.m. Saturday. He fell 1,000 feet and died instantly, authorities said.

"I flew with him several times, and he was extremely skilled as a pilot," said Rich Perkins, the owner of Attitude Aviation in Livermore. Parker, a veteran who served in the U.S. Air Force, worked as a mechanic for the company.

Charred debris remains after a small plane described as a kit crashed onto a dry hillside near North Livermore Avenue north of westbound Interstate 580 on Saturday, June 21, 2014, in unincorporated Livermore, Calif. J.D. Nelson, public information officer for the Alameda County Sheriff's Office, said the plane had taken off from the nearby Livermore Airport and the tower reportedly saw flames coming from the aircraft. The male pilot, who did not have a parachute, leapt from the plane, Nelson said, and was killed after falling 1,000 to 1,500 feet. His body landed about 300 yards from the plane. Emergency responders extinguished a 1.5-acre fire caused by the crash. (Cindi Christie/Bay Area News Group)

Perkins said Monday that Parker, who was a Vietnam veteran, had recently been in Iraq and Afghanistan but wanted to get out of those dangerous locales and back to a stable lifestyle at home.

The replica of a P-51 Mustang was a "kit plane," according to Perkins, one that is assembled by its owner. The Federal Aviation Administration must approve such aircraft for flight and had done so with the plane that Parker was flying, Perkins said.

"It's basically a great big model airplane," Perkins said. "They're built to higher standards than certified airplanes. My concern is that people will think this was just some crazy person trying to build an airplane and then flying it. Nothing could be further from truth. This was an excellent pilot and mechanic."

Advertisement

Witnesses told sheriff's deputies that Parker jumped from the aircraft without a parachute after the plane caught fire during takeoff from Livermore airport. The tower reported that the plane was in trouble, then reported flames.

Fire crews quickly contained a blaze that was sparked by the crash, keeping it to 1.5 acres of vegetation, Alameda County Fire spokeswoman Aisha Knowles said.

When he fell, Parker landed about 300 yards from the plane, officials said, and died on impact. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash, which left the aircraft demolished.

"Unfortunately in flying, once in a while the wrong thing goes wrong at the wrong time, and you have a crash," Perkins said. "Every pilot knows that going in."